January 2016 Newsletter – ATP

Kicking Into Gear For a Happy New Year!

Every year it’s the same…

I never “get” it that things always slow down over Christmas and as it starts earlier and earlier each year, I get more and more frustrated. I am always willing to work right up to Xmas Eve but most companies tend to slow….right…down.

This inevitably leaves me feeling glummer than usual once it has all passed and reality kicks back in. I always feel a bit deflated after things go quiet but then it all kickstarts again.

I fire myself up, head back to my regular business group meetings and start writing, shooting and uploading stock. I get back on my own personal learning curves and read, study and experiment and before I know it, the world catches up with me.

This week has been superb with all manner of cool enquiries coming in with everything from helping people with their photography websites through to one potentially huge job with my drone (UAV – Inspire 1).

This month:

Digital Photo Frames

New 3-Axis Gimbal for Go Pro Cameras

Nikon D5 Announced

Photography and Fitness

DJI Inspire 1 UAV (Drone)

X5 – Professional camera – First impressions

X5 – Sample video clips

X5 – More clips and photos

Latest X5 clips testing sharpness

DJI X5 vs Panasonic GH4

Wedding Photobooks by Iris Albums

Aerial Video/Stills

I am still undecided as to whether aerial video is going to be sustainable for everyone that is currently or looking to become involved. It will either continue to grow as it most definitely is right now or it could fizzle out over time.

You see, many companies don’t yet see aerial video and photography as the exciting medium that us pilots do. Perhaps they haven’t really seen enough work to realise what stunning aerial photos and video can do for their business, image, website and products?

I think a lot of “non-photographers” jumped on the bandwagon expecting work to fly in but soon realised they needed a much larger skill set than simply flying and shooting away. You also have to think about careful, skillful and creative editing as well as storytelling for each individual business…that can take time to acquire for the novice image-maker.

Anyway…

1. Digital Photo Frames

They have been around for a while but still sell very well and most households have one…do you? They are always good for your office desk for when clients come-a-knockin’…it gives them something to look at while you make the coffee and of course, the subliminal messages you put up there help to seal the deal : )

They are also great for around the home to show off your handy work to all and sundry…

2. New 3-Axis Gimbal for Go Pro Cameras

You should know by now that I am gimbal mad so I was over the moon when recently a company asked me to look through their catalogue to see what I would like to review for them…Christmas came early.

At ATP, I only review kit that I have either bought myself or I like the look of and think our readers would like and find useful. Many people seem to own a Go Pro camera these days (or are looking to buy one) and as I had already reviewed the Feiyu Tech G3 Ultra Gimbal, I thought I would try this one…

Check out some super stable footage from my Kawasaki Z1000 and rather dull skiing efforts at Tamworth Snowdome (love that place)!

3. Nikon D5 Announced

Oof! It’s been a while since a “mirrored” DSLR (I have to say that now what with the rise and rise of the wonderful mirrorless DSLR’s) has grabbed my attention and sent a mild shiver through my wallet…and it’s a Nikon!

Never before have I been so tempted to move over to the dark side and switch allegiances from Canon but this camera just about has it all. Nikon fans, read this well out of sight of your prying spouses and partners.

4. Photography and Fitness

What better time to throw this article out there than a couple of weeks after Christmas and the holidays! You are now either wishing you hadn’t had that last mince pie (last week for some : ) or quietly placing that brand new gym membership card in the bottom drawer of your office desk hoping it will go away.

My “shape” has changed a lot over the years and it has most definitely affected my work, especially when shooting weddings and lugging all that gear around. When I wrote the membership section to All Things Photography, I included a large health section that outlines my extensive research and how I myself lost a fair bit of weight in a short time.

If you don’t need to read it, please share with someone that does…thanks.

5. DJI Inspire 1 UAV (drone)

You may think I am droning on (yeah, I know) about UAV’s but unless you have been hiding under your bed for the past 6 months, you will see they are getting a lot of attention both good and bad.

As I said, I am still undecided as to whether the buzz will last but for now, I am riding that big wave in the sky with hopefully a good few jobs on the horizon including some more possible TV work.

Aerial photography and video is still new and very exciting so if you are looking to get into it, I hope these few articles help but I will be writing and filming a whole new UAV (unmanned aerial vehicle) training section soon.

I also recently purchased a new camera for the DJI Inspire 1 and have been spending my last few flights trying to get the best image quality from it. The X5 is one of the first cameras to allow full manual control over everything from ISO, aperture and shutter speed to focussing and even zooming the lens from the DJI Go app…amazing to have that control.

6. Wedding Photobooks by Iris Albums

I was at a trade show late last year and met a thoroughly nice chap called Abraham who owns Iris Albums, a photobook manufacturer and retailer based in the UK.

I was drawn to the standard of his books on display but then started chatting and realised what a nice chap he was. Very knowledgeable, friendly and willing to spend time talking to people (unlike some of the other stall holders).

I picked up one book in particular which happened to be his flagship photobook and loved it right away. The quality was superb so I expected the price to match but was happily surprised. Check out my review to see my sample of that book and learn about pricing and ordering.